What You Should Know
- The Partnership: Withings Health Solutions, a pioneer in connected health hardware, has partnered with 9amHealth, a leader in virtual cardiometabolic care, to deploy remote patient monitoring devices across employer-sponsored obesity programs.
- The Hardware: 9amHealth members will utilize the Withings Body Pro 2 cellular scale to monitor advanced body composition, alongside the BPM Pro 2 blood pressure monitor for select high-risk patients.
- The Clinical ROI: According to a six-month data review by 9amHealth, members who weighed themselves at least monthly achieved an average of 46% more weight loss than those who did not.
- The Engagement Engine: To combat device abandonment, the Body Pro 2 utilizes a direct-to-cellular connection (bypassing Wi-Fi or Bluetooth setup). It also features an “Eyes Closed Mode,” allowing weight-sensitive patients to step on the scale and transmit data to their care team without ever seeing the number on the screen.
- The Retention Rate: Across its programs, Withings reports that more than 90% of members using their cellular scale remain actively engaged with regular measurements for at least six months.
Why Weight Alone is a Flawed Metric
In modern obesity management, the absolute number on the scale only tells half the story. As patients lose weight, clinicians must ensure they are losing adipose tissue (fat) rather than shedding critical lean muscle mass, which can lead to frailty and metabolic slowdown.
The clinical case for continuous monitoring is clear. In a recent data review, 9amHealth found that members who weighed themselves at least monthly achieved an average of 46% more weight loss than those who did not. The challenge, however, is getting patients to actually use the hardware.
“Weight loss can also support blood pressure, sleep quality, and A1c for people with diabetes,” noted Avantika Waring, MD, Chief Medical Officer at 9amHealth. “With the Withings Body Pro 2, our Care Team can see weight, body composition, and trends in real time. That visibility helps us guide safer, more effective weight care, adjust treatment earlier, and support muscle preservation.”
Engineering for Empathy: The UX of RPM
Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) programs frequently fail because the hardware is too difficult to use. Forcing a patient to download a proprietary app, fiddle with Bluetooth pairing, and type in a Wi-Fi password is a recipe for device abandonment.
Withings solves this by utilizing direct cellular connectivity. The Body Pro 2 arrives ready to use out of the box; the patient simply steps on it, and the data is securely beamed to the 9amHealth care team. Furthermore, a proprietary “ProgramMember ID” feature ensures the scale knows exactly who is stepping on it, preventing data contamination if a family member uses the device.
But perhaps the most brilliant feature is born from behavioral psychology. For many patients navigating obesity, stepping on a scale triggers severe emotional anxiety, leading them to avoid the device altogether. Withings engineered an “Eyes Closed Mode,” which allows members to step on the scale to transmit their clinical data to their doctor, but hides the actual weight display from the patient.
“Effective obesity care depends on consistent participation, not just access to treatment,” said Antoine Pivron, Vice President of Withings Health Solutions. “Across our programs, more than 90% of members using the cellular scale remain actively engaged with regular measurements for at least six months.”
